Passion For Collecting, a

We are all born collectors. In childhood we hoard marbles, ribbons, toy soldiers, postage stamps - all manner of knick-knacks - and experience an instinctive thrill in finding the next and even better one. A true collector is there for the chase, the anticipation and the satisfaction of possession. Collecting is about passion, about tracking down the perfect object to enhance your life - and then continuing the search. This book investigates that phenomenon of collecting and explores the ways in which collectibles as diverse as antique furniture, ceramics, kitchen implements and seashells are used as part of interior design schemes. Caroline Clifton-Mogg talks to a clutch of collectors whose onjects of desire may have taken them anywhere from obscure car boot sales to the other side of the world, or dictated their choice of a home to house their finds or the whole pattern of their lives. A collecton is individual, a statement about interests and lifestyle, and as the characters of the collectors emerge, we start to understand the nature of their various collecting passions and their dogged pursuit of the extraordinary piece. Unless a collection is extremely valuable, it can usually be displayed or put to use, but discipline and skill are needed to do so to best advantage. Grouping objects makes clear their coherence, but too large a group can be unwieldy; yet pieces that are scattered are not striking. The book illustrates and describes numerous interiors that make wonderful decorative use of all kinds of collections, and uncovers the principles at work in such successful schemes. Displaying collections is a highly individual art, as the personalities of this book, and the interiors they have created, intriguingly reveals.